To stay current or not to stay current...

I've always been told "stay current while you're building". Now I'm questioning that, for myself.
I fly once a month now, just to stay current. It's 150 bucks a month and is becoming an unenjoyable nuisance. I have to book the plane, and then often when the weather is bad cancel and re-book (like today). I always have it on my mind "uh-oh, gotta go flying next week to stay current" (club requires 1 flight every 30 days). I don't make long interesting trips anymore, because I'm funnelling the money towards building (and it's over 120 bucks an hour to rent). Also, once my baby is born, its goign to be even harder to get out there every month to do that.

So, I'm considering this. Let it lapse while I finish building. Put that 120 per month in the bank. Then, when the RV is almost ready, go spend that money to get current again and do transition training.

Advice?

I didn't stay current during my build, in fact I hadn't flown in a couple of years when I started. If you're not enjoying the flying and are just going through the motions to maintain currency, you're probably better off letting it lapse. You'll save some money and I'd guess the skills will return easily enough when the time comes. Insurance will probably require some dual before you can fly your airplane anyway.

Good luck!

Truthfully, it is probably only a question you can answer for yourself Phil, but asking other's experience is a good way to sort it out. In my mind, it all depends on how important "flying" is to you. If you fly casually, and it is something that you do when you have the time, then there is nothing wrong with dropping it, and going full-bore when you are ready - as long as you are honest and truthful about the amount of time that you will need to spend getting REALLY ready.

Personally, I can't stand to NOT fly - it is a passion that is deep-seated in my bones. I kept my Grumman until the -8 had flown, and that meant paying hangar rent, maintenance, fuel, etc. For me, I'd have dropped many other things before I dropped the flying. It is purely my own speculation, but I think that a lot of airplane projects get abandoned when their builders drift far enough away from the passion of flying that they forget why they are building in the first place.

But as I said at the start - this all depends on your own motivations and drives - what it is that makes YOU tick.

(I know of one older fellow who was a military pilot and flight test engineer, then didn't fly anything for decades. When he retired, he built an immaculate kit biplane, but as a perfectionist, he acknowledged the need to do a tremendous amount of training before he felt he'd be ready to fly it. One thing lead to another, he got busy with post-retirement activities, and now, fifteen years later, he still hasn't flown the plane....and I am sure he never will.)

Another, possibly deciding factor that I just realised is that (in Canada) we have to have 100 hours PIC to be allowed to test fly our ameteur builts. I need another 30 or so, so I guess I better keep flying.

I decided that I would diligently stay current during the building process. For me, there isn't a single time in the airplane that I don't learn something, whether about me and my skills, or about the airplane, or whatever - every flight is a different experience, even if it's just a few laps around the pattern. And "a good pilot is always learning." (I read that somewhere). My thinking is that I want to be the safest and most proficient pilot I can be when my plane is ready to fly. And in my situation, I don't feel the best way to to that is to get current right before I'm ready to fly the plane I just built. Yes, it's a pain to book rented planes, and sometimes I have to make the time to do it. But for me, it's worth it (90% of the time).

I have often thought of just buying a plane to have something to fly when I want to while I'm building, and there are many arguments for and against that. And I have seriously looked at several. But I have never pulled the trigger. It would now be time to sell the plane anyway for RV funds, so I don't even think about it any more. But I do still rent. I take my wife with me occasionally, and it forces me to 'go someplace' for lunch or breakfast, rather than just fly around the local area. I also fly with a friend whenever I can, who has a plane, and is building. I learn something there, too, and it's interesting to see how another pilot handles things.

Just one person's opinion ...........

Oh, and I should probably mention that I'm a fairly low time pilot - only about 130 hrs PIC. And I was much lower when I started building, which was definately a motivating factor to stay current.

I'm with Paul on this one, I gotta fly or I start to go batty. With work, kids, and the RV project my plate is pretty full. Flying takes my mind off of everything.

If you are only trying to stay curent for the PPL standards. Drop the club and let it lapse, save some money.

I stopped flying for 2 years and when I went to get a BFR, It took 1 hour ground and 1 hour flying. Altitude hold was a little sloppy, but I greased the landings and the instructor said. "what can I say, you know what you're doing. BFR done, your current"

It really takes very little effort to jump back in where you left off.

IFR currency is a differnt story. I'm still working on that.

I should also note, I was going crazy not flying for 2 years.

currency...it's a good thing

While I understand if a builder wants to devote currency maintenance time toward building, I tend to think that staying current has advantages that can translate into building. It keeps you focused on your flying, and might help you narrow down what you will eventually need regarding avionics, AP, engine size, and other choices.
I also think that maintaining some level of currency keeps you in the aviation game and thus, focused on finishing.

Me, I'm a hopeless aviation romantic.
I've been flying for about 3 decades, and I'm still not jaded.
So, every few months, I'm off to the airport to maintain currency; and, I do so by trying to challenge myself w seldom-visited airports when I can.

One other thing.
When you finish your RV, you have a new airborne sportscar that requires attentive flying. If you maintain your flying skills, as opposed to letting them rust, I think you will be a better (and safer) RV flyer.

easy choice....

When the retirement property is a 4.5hr drive, but after 1.5 spamcan hours the downwind looks like this



and turning final looks like this



AND now the flying club just replaced it's wrecked Citabria with this



you have no choice but to stay current. YMMV

Thanks for pointing that out. I was not aware. However it appears to only apply during the first 5 hours of flight.

CAR 507, Appendix D, 3 (g)

(g) during the first 5 hours of flight, the aircraft can only be flown only by pilots who have acquired not less than 100 hours of pilot-in-command on the same category of aircraft.

Paul
RV-8 Finishing
Calgary, AB

prkaye said:

Another, possibly deciding factor that I just realised is that (in Canada) we have to have 100 hours PIC to be allowed to test fly our ameteur builts. I need another 30 or so, so I guess I better keep flying.

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If I Were in Your Shoes

In the situation you describe I would drop the flying in an instant and focus the time and money on completing the airplane then focus my time and money getting back into flying with the intensity you need to fly and enjoy the RV. Your original post says clearly that you think what you are doing is a wasteful distraction. A sense of guilt and not desire is driving you to fly. I think it is better not to fly and want to than fly when you know your resources would be better spent on the building task. Completing the airplane is what will really set you free. My recommendation is to focus on building and visualize flying while you need to be building then focus on flying and all of the training that entails when the time comes for you and your plane to fly.

I did not do that myself. I flew over 200 hours per year commuting to work and pleasure trips while I was building my RV-6A. The difference is, I owned the airplane, I loved that airplane and every flight had a purpose.

Bob Axsom

Find a friend

Perhaps there is another builder in the area that is in the same situation, and you guys can share the costs. That won't fix the weather or the hassle of scheduling, but you should have more fun flying with a fellow builder. I'm sure you can find someone with more flying experience than you who you can learn from as well.

I was out of currency during the first 5 years of a 7 year building process. Indeed, my total currency lapse was about 12 years (kids, money, time...). Getting current again in a 172 took maybe 2 hours' flight time.

I allowed other pilots to "guilt" me into getting current again, perhaps a year and a half before completing the RV. If I were doing it again, I'd simply wait until the RV was nearly complete, and then gotten immersed into getting current again, first with spam cans and then transition training.

Currency vs. Proficiency

While building my plane, I had not actively flown for many years. I live on an airport and was fortunate to have access to a plane and instructor. I decided to go for a couple of hours of instruction and a BFR. I was woefully out of proficiency.

So, I flew about 5 hours, got my BFR and didn't fly for a while after that. I concentrated on the building of the plane. I knew I wasn't going to fly my first flight anyway so there was no urgency to stay proficient at that moment.

A few months before my plane flew I went to Mike Seager for Transition Training. Then, approximately two weeks before my plane's first flight I got 2 hours of dual in my neighbors 7. I had a highly experienced RV pilot fly my first 1.5 hours on my plane. I then took it over for Phase I.

Please keep in mind there is huge difference between currency and proficiency. One complies with the regs, the other with safety.

My vote, save the money, build the plane. You can get current when your plane is ready and you can get proficient in your plane as you fly off the time.

Good luck. Great topic.

This is my take on this.

Do you enjoy flying the 150 or are you just doing it so you don't fall out of currency?

If you enjoy flying the 150 and it gives you a peace, gets you away from the everyday grind. Than continue.

If you really don't get anything out of it and you are doing it just because, I say drop it until the build is done.

I enjoy flying my kitfox, a real kick in the butt. If I have a real stressful day, I go fly. What? yup. It's the only thing that will bring me back to earth. I end up going over to the Class C airport and fly touch and goes, yup, and not only that, during busy time. My favorite is when there are multiple aircraft landing, 737's. I really like doing touches inbetween when they are 4 mile spaced. I'm the only person they let do this, because they know I can get down to the runway and out, lickety split. This would totally wipe out other pilots, but for me it relaxes me. I go away smiling from ear to ear. When I end up back at the shop, the wife says, you went to international didn't you. I come back and say, yup. She says, it shows.

Now when I went to get my training in the 6, I found that it was very different and if I were to be a 150 pilot, I would have found myself being very disappointed that I couldn't do it. Yup, the 150 is a very bad aircraft to transision from. Me personally, if I had to fly a 150 during my build and than go to the RV, I wouldn't, I would save my money and wait until I was finished and than get a bunch of training in the 6, than go fly my new RV.

THe kitfox is close to the RV, not as fast, but at least it responds faster than a cessna. I found that the RV is like the kitfox in landing, only if you treat the landing like you are doing a wheel landing in the kitfox. The flare in the RV is very tempermental. Too much and wowa, you are up and in trouble.

My recomendation is to find a person that has an empty right or rear seat in an RV, offer to help pay for fuel and fly with them, let them give you the stick once and awhile. Maybe there is a person that has trouble with his medical that could use you to fly with them, that otherwise would be grounded.

good luck in your decision.

Phil,

You're building an RV-9A, right? You might check around to see if you can find someplace nearby that will rent you a Diamond DA20. I recently started flying one, and not only are they a hoot to fly, but I think they are about the closest thing you can get to a 9A's flying qualities in a certified airplane.... and I say this having flown 200+ hours in my old 9A. If you can stay current and build some time in a DA20, I bet you'll pick up on the RV-9A transition training a little faster.

good luck,
mcb

I just recently made a [FONT='Calibri','sans-serif']similar [/FONT]decision. I had a Cherokee 180 through the first two years of my build. This past year I was lucky if I put 25 hours on it and lost my IFR currency. This was primarily due to having to decide to spend my little free time on building or flying. Both have advantages.

I sold my Cherokee this summer for two reasons. The first was due to me not flying regularly. The second was financial. The proceeds from the Cherokee allow me to buy the rest of the kits and an engine with going further into debt.

Since time for me is constrained, I decided not to keep current until about 90 days before I'm prepared to fly. Then I'll go get a BFR and IPC and fly how many hours it takes to become safe again. If it takes 10-20 hours, so be it. I figured that I be more proficient flying hard just before the first flight than flying minimal time on a monthly basis to maintain currency. It's also less expensive, since most rental places around here will deal on block time rentals.

My wife didn't like flying in the Cherokee, but she truly enjoys the RV-10. So the quicker I can get it built, the happier we all will be.

Like somebody mentioned before, there is no correct answer here, just the one that is right for you.

bob

Phil,

You mentioned you need to do a bit more for the 100 PIC requirement, so I'd just say try find some ways to make it fun and challenging...shake it up a bit, so it tickles that passion Paul and others mentioned, rather than have it become a chore. Whether it's taking someone up who has never been flying before (and watching their pie-tin eyes and big smile), having a landing contest with a friend, flying to a new airport to get that "pin on your map", getting checked out in a new airplane and flying a new toy, or getting a quick aerobatic checkout, or...so many ways to make it fun.

It can be expensive, so that is a consideration, but if you re-ignite the passion after crossing the 100 hour mark, maybe staying current will be eaiser. If the passion to build supplants to the passion to fly (and there sure isn't anything bad about that...just did a 5 month panel and misc project that really kept me going, though I fly for a living and flew with buddies, I was not current ASEL until I flew it last week...boy did I miss it!)

All that blabbing just means do what makes and keeps you jazzed about flying. Stay current, let it lapse once you have your 100 and then dive in full bore when you're close. Either way, as one poster said, currency is about safety...whichever route you choose, I'd recommend not going just to minimum proficiency...keep it fun, but stay sharp enough to be safe!

All the best!!

Cheers,
Bob

PS: Hydroguy, if you're still reading this thread, where is that airport?!?! Very cool...gotta go there!!

rvmills said:

-snip-...PS: Hydroguy, if you're still reading this thread, where is that airport?!?! Very cool...gotta go there!!

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thread hijack: here's a link The designator is 97MT on the Great Falls sectional.

http://www.cabincreeklanding.com/

We own lot #23 and plan on building a small cabin next summer. No TV, no phone, but will have courtesy truck w/kayaks and only 1 mile to the lake pictured.

I know flying and being current during a build is great....but the money could be better spent on the project. I think a more important factor is are you safe flying so few hours a year?

My free opinion

My opinion is worth what you paid...but you asked...so..

Why did you take flying lessons? For travel or for the love of flying. I enjoy flying, landing on an island for breakfast 25 minutes later, taking kids up for their first ride etc. A quick trip somewhere and back in one day with my wife that would take a day to get to in a car....that kind of thing.

Expensive...crazy expensive but...thats why i learned to fly and i do enjoy it. I am building a 9a to have my own plane and spend more time flying. It is the prize at the end, but i dont have tunnel vision to get it done. I have had to delay my engine order and slow down a bit to fit in all of the other parts of life that are more critical than getting this plane done. One of those critical things...is to still enjoy flying and stay safe and have fun. Live once, live well.

There are lots of days i sure wish it was done, or think how great its going to be to have my own plane, but....then a spam can goes overhead on a nice afternoon and i just want to drop the tools and go for a flight. Beat up plane yes, expensive and slow yes...but its a plane and on a nice night...thats why i took up this hobby in the first place. Years is much to long to wait for me to enjoy the sky. Good luck in your decisions.

I'd say no, don't over stress too much, about it....

Spend the money on the plane, but hitch some right seat time and pay for 1/2 fuel with friends, if possible. That's what I did, but didn't keep current on my medicals or BFR's every two years. It was an off and on thing for a long 12 years, as a "slow" builder.

In the last three months, I picked up a lot of flying time in a 9A, but had some good hours in a 9A four years ago, as well as a bit of 6A time. Did my BFR in a friends 9A, and now flying my 6A seems a cinch!

L.Adamson

Very Nice!

hydroguy2 said:

thread hijack: here's a link The designator is 97MT on the Great Falls sectional.

http://www.cabincreeklanding.com/

We own lot #23 and plan on building a small cabin next summer. No TV, no phone, but will have courtesy truck w/kayaks and only 1 mile to the lake pictured.

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Right by Flathead Lake and Glacier NP! Very nice retirement getaway...Or a great excuse for a fly-in! Well done!

OK, temporary thread hijack...for Phil: Here's a currency-fun pick-me-up...quick X-C over to Collingwood, ONT, on the Georgian Bay. Did a corporate trip there once, and it was a neat little place. Classic Airlines had a DC-3 operation, and a Delta guy had a pristine Beaver on floats there...beee-utiful! Nice place for lunch with the locals nearby too. It was a few years ago, and hopefully hasn't changed too much, but it was a logbook entry I'll always remember!

Cheers,
Bob

rvmills said:

Right by Flathead Lake and Glacier NP! Very nice retirement getaway...Or a great excuse for a fly-in!
.....Bob

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the Airpark Fly-in is being planned for late spring. we won't have a place built yet, but plan on being there. we hope to make it available to overnighters in the future. there is also a B&B being built on one of the commerical lots.

hydroguy2 said:

the Airpark Fly-in is being planned for late spring. we won't have a place built yet, but plan on being there. we hope to make it available to overnighters in the future. there is also a B&B being built on one of the commerical lots.

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Count me in!

End of hijack

Cheers,
Bob

Phil - as a fellow Ottawan I can make some very specific recommendations.

1) get the heck away from YOW. Although flying the Katana's there with OAS is a good thing, the airport provides for far too much ground time and hassle, and far too little enjoyable air time. It seems like you've got some affiliation with YSH - that's a good thing, but don't forget about CYRP or Rockliffe as very viable alternatives

2) get hooked up with EAA245 - there are lots of other fellows there who are in the same boat and as many others have pointed out, sharing flying with others makes it enjoyable. My airplane is hangared there and I often have an empty seat, and often have found other owner/pilots who are looking for company to go along for the ride and willingly share logbook time. It's a great gang.

3) the recommendation to fly to Collingwood is a good one. Nice airport if you don't mind a bumpy runway, and flying up Wasaga Beach is a lovely sight. Other nice alternatives (particularly at this time of the year with the fall leaves in full colour) are available all around us. Bancroft, Westport, Cobden, Stanhope/Halliburton, Peterborough, Kingston, Cornwall. All of these are nice flights from the Ottawa area.

4) partnering in an aircraft, particularly with a partner who's getting up there in years who's really looking for somebody to help share costs and the workload of the annual inspection, is a fantastic way to get relatively inexpensive flying time.

5) If you're not enjoying flying and move away from it, you run the risk of losing the desire to complete your 9A project. I speak from experience as I became jaded with aviation and took a long time off. Flying from YOW is a quick and easy way to get jaded. Get out of the city and start enjoying some of the other airfields around. I'm certain you'll enjoy the experience. And if you don't then let your currency lapse and concentrate on building. Whatever you do, don't let yourself go to the point of missing the 2year and 5year requirements. Having to write the PSTAR exam after 5 years is a pain in the keester.

I hope these suggestions and all the other good ones provided by earlier posters helps you make up your mind how to proceed and invigorate your love of aviation.

Thanks guys. Just got back to the computer, and have to read through all your responses.

You might check around to see if you can find someplace nearby that will rent you a Diamond DA20

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The DA20 Katana actually what I do fly, and what I've been flying for a couple of years. Actually, the Grob that the school used to have is much closer to my RV-9A, with an O-320 and fixed pitch prop. But someone crashed it, so no more Grob.

I should check out Collingwood soon. I've flown to Kingston, Cornwall, Peterborough, Tremblant, Messina, even South River! Felt like I was running out of places I could get to in under an hours. I'll check out Collingwood. One of these days I'd like to make the trip to Toronto, but maybe not until the RV is done.

Phil - you might want to check out the Carp Flying Academy with their DA20 Eclipse aircraft. They've got some serious cruise speed (significantly better than the Katana) so covering longer legs is a bit more practical. And you don't spend forever on the ground as you do at YOW. There are a lot of advantages to flying from the smaller satellite airfields.

Also, if you're going to Toronto, go to the Island - makes a very nice flight down the lakeshore.

Sorry to hear the Grob is gone. It was a favourite of a friend of mine (he's 6'5", so not all airplanes are a good fit for him).